Video camera?
 

I am heading to Italy for 10 days in May and would love to take a video camera to record the adventure and be able to relive it later but have some concerns and wanted to ask your thoughts.
1) do attractions such as museums and churches let you even take the camera in?
2) how do you protect the camera from thieves as you go about the town?
thanks for your help!

We take our video camera and love reliving the experience many times over.

We have never have had a problem filming in churches and with the zoom are able to get the lovely stained glass detail etc., while museums are individual in their policies and you would need to ask before filming. We never use artificial lighting. Actually a lot of our filming is done through the car windshield on the move and turns out amazingly well.

We either keep the camera in the top of a small back pack with secure closure which my husband totes and I keep a step back, off his shoulder where I can see if someone is messing with it OR I have a deep, cloth shopping bag (much like people carry to open air markets) that it just sets in the bottom of and I sling it on my shoulder like a purse. The length is just enough to fit snugly under my arm with my hand holding the straps while resting my forearm along the top...impossible to get into. At a cafe I simply place it between my feet where I would be able to feel it being moved or gotten into. Obviously, you have to be careful not to forget it when you get up and leave but that's not likely to happen unless you've realllly had too much vino.

It will definitely brand you as a tourist and a target for pickpockets, who may not pick your camera but some other piece of your belongings as a target while you are side tracked with filming. We generally don't film in tight quarters (like a metro for example).

Hope you are able to arrange it, cause you will love the results.

There is usually no problem in bringing camcorders and still cameras into museums and cathedrals, with the exception of those which charge admission. Then there will be a sign indicating that you must pay a fee or that cameras are prohibited. In all museums and cathedrals the use of flash and tripods are forbidden, but those are usually not needed with a camcorder.

You ask how to protect the camera from thieves? Well, the camcorder protects itself. When I travel with one I keep it in my right hand, power on and set on pause, and nonchalantly walk about. At the first sight of gypsies, who are especially common around Italian train stations, I flip off the pause and start filming them. The gypsies run like rabbits, sometimes turning back with an obscene gesture. This will make for some of your most interesting videos in Europe. In one event in Milan, a young man started to run away with his group but then stopped and turned toward me. He pulled down his sweat pants, grabbed his member, and shouted "Here, take a picture of this!" as he waved it around. His girl friend had stopped with him and was shocked at the sight.

One other point. It is pointless for someone to steal your video camera in Europe because it won't work there anyway. American TV is on the NTSC system and European TV uses SECAM, PAL, or other systems. I don't know what these letters stand for, but the net effect is static, snow, and/or a rolling screen when you try to play NTSC on SECAM or PAL TVs. The thieves probably know this already after having stolen American camcorders and finding no local market for them.

shle:

Why did you post the same question twice?

you are right...i couldn't find the post! thanks so much for the information. i feel much better about taking the video camera now and can't wait to have the memories forever! thanks everyone!

shle:

When you want to find your posts just click on your name next to the Welcome: in the upper left part of the screen.